MAP PARTNERS

This site is the product of a partnership between FGBNMS and NCDDC, located at Stennis Space Center, MS.

The underlying information including bathymetry, ROV tracks and images, and biological information, is the result of an enormous effort by many partners, including USGS, University of New Hampshire, Minerals Management Service, NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration, National Undersea Research Center - University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Smithsonian Institution, Long-Term Monitoring contractors, students, volunteers and interns, and dozens of marine scientists who assisted in the identification process.

Interactive map tool showing the section of the northwestern
Gulf of Mexico that includes FGBNMS

This is a Google-based map, so you can zoom in or out, and turn layers on or off. The image below shows the oil platforms and pipelines layers.

Interactive map tool showing oil and gas platforms and
pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico.

In an effort to bring the seafloor to the public, we have also uploaded over 100 ROV survey tracks and approximately 1200 images from those surveys.

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USING THE MAP

To get the the specific bank information, first click the box next to "Shaded Relief of Banks" in the top banner above the map. This will turn on the multibeam data.  Then choose a specific bank under "Select A Bank", and click on "Find it". This will zoom into the bank of interest.

If you click on "Banks–Habitat Characterization" on the left side, you'll see a zonation map come up, with a corresponding legend. Next to each zone name there is an option to download the PDF's of the descriptions of the zone. Depending on your browser, it may also come up as a pop-up window option.

To view images of the seafloor, turn on the ROV tracks by clicking "Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) Dives" on the left side. You'll see the bathymetric detail and the ROV tracks. If you click on an ROV track (yellow line) a window will open telling you during which cruise the survey took place, the dive ID, and an option to view some images from the dive.

Interactive map tool showing ROV tracks at East Flower Garden Bank

Click on "Click to access dive photos". Circles will show up along the survey line indicating where the photographs were taken. Also, a list of the photographs will show up on the right side. You can either click on the circle on the track or on the list.

Interactive map tool showing an image of the seafloor
at a particular point on an ROV track

We have inventoried the biology in all of the photographs, and will soon be offering species lists for each photograph, along with regional catalogs.

Click the button below to try it out for yourself!

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